Over My Head
by hopelessxlove
Summary: Malex. Future.
1. Chapter 1

**Over My Head**

This started out as just a random, future, what have you story about Alex being fed up; this is what it ended up becoming. I realize that some of the fact and or information I've used is incorrect, but this is what I was able to pull from google. Thoughts/reviews would be great.  
**  
Chapter One**

The room was still, the brunette watched from the bed as the only other person in the room stormed the empty hallway and towards the front door. The only sound came from the blonde's footsteps, though they were light, they had the ability to echo in the quiet condominium.  
"Don't do this," she called out, her voice barely above a whisper.  
"Do what?" The blonde questioned from her position in front of the door. Her hand was on the door knob; with just a turn of her wrist she would be gone.  
"Leave" Alex felt Marissa's hot breath on the back of her neck, causing the hair to rise. She hadn't heard the brunettes footsteps trace the path of hers. Marissa tentatively placed her hand over Alex's, and slide her other hand onto Alex's hip. "I don't want you to go," Marissa's lips were only a few inches away from Alex's ear.

"I can't be here right now" Alex said, her tone even. She had to remain in control of her feelings, despite Marissa's ability to drive her crazy.  
"Why not?" The question was followed with a pout, Alex could see the reflection of it in the glass.  
"Because I need to get out of here."  
"You always do this" Marissa answered, the frustration evident in her voice.  
"And you always do that" Alex replied, not hiding her own frustrations and annoyance. She whipped around causing Marissa to take a few steps back as well as release her hold.  
"I'm not the one that leaves every time we get into an argument."  
"Yeah well I'm not the one who starts them, and we both know that if I didn't leave to let you cool down-rather think about how stupid the fucking things are we'd get nowhere." The blonde countered, her hands instantly rooting to her hips.  
"You know what Alex? Leave. That's all you ever do."  
"Do you even understand why I walk away?" Her eyes narrowed at the girl that stood before her.

"Fuck Marissa, I understand where the insecurities came from when you were 17 and we were together, but we're adults now. We're fucking 26 years old. We have jobs, we have a life together and we're a family. You can't keep acting like this."  
"You're right Alex, we're adults and we have a life together now. So when are you going to learn to stop walking away? To face everything head on?" Marissa's voice had taken on a condescending tone.  
"I'd stop leaving when you stop being such a fucking drama queen. How long have we been together?" Alex didn't let Marissa attempt to respond, "For fucking years. I love you and I'm not going anywhere why can't you see that?" The blonde sighed, her entire body tired from the arguing, tired from the effort of it all.

The silence that followed was deafening. Neither spoke, Marissa's lips were pursed together as if she were biting her tongue.

"How are we going to do this?" Alex questioned, turning back around and leaning her head on the front door. Marissa's eyes flickered to the dimly lit room that lay off to the side of the hallway.

The little boy had been sleeping for a few hours, and both women knew that at any given moment he would wake up screaming from another nightmare. This had been the routine for the past six months. Alex heard a whimper come from his bedroom, and began to count to ten in her head. Just as she reached 10, she heard the screaming start, "Right on the dot", Alex mumbled with a deep sigh. She brushed past Marissa, heading straight towards the noise.

She didn't pause in the doorway; merely made a beeline to the bed, where the little boy lay thrashing about. Alex swept him up in her arms in one fluid movement, rocking him back and forth. Marissa had wordlessly trailed behind the blonde, and upon reaching the room she stood leaning against the door frame. Alex oblivious to everything but the little person in her grasp began to sing quietly, calming the boy's movements. The brunette crossed her arms and watched for a few minutes, wondering how things would have unfolded if Alex had left.

/

"I didn't think it was true, but here you two are in the flesh." Alex said getting up from her chair and walking towards her friend as she entered the office. "This must be Cooper?" Alex questioned, her attention shifting to the little sandy haired boy on her friend's hip.  
"CK for short."  
"CK?" Alex wondered aloud, closing her office door so the two old friends could have some privacy, "Like for Kelly? Like my last name Kelly?"  
"Yeah" Jodie mumbled after a beat of silence. Alex's eyes doubled in size, "I asked you if that was okay."  
"That was two years ago, I thought you were joking! Jesus Jodie, I-", Alex paused midsentence, "What's this about? Why are you here?"  
"Alex, please hear me out." Jodie was on the brink of tears.

The two stood looking at each other, neither making a move towards the other. The little boy fast asleep in Jodie's arms. It was then that Alex noticed the duffel bag that was slung over Jodie's shoulder.

"Please don't tell me that you are here to give him to me." Jodie took a tentative step towards Alex and handed the boy over quietly, once he was in Alex's arms he seemed to snuggle up to her immediately. Jodie set the bag down and pulled a rolled packet of paper out from her back pocket.  
"I can't give him what he needs Alex."  
"Jodie…"  
"You can, look at you. You have a life, a future. I have nothing."  
"I-do I even get a say in this?" Alex asked, perplexed.  
"You can give him stability, he's young enough that he'll see you as his mom."  
"Jodie, what about his dad?" Alex couldn't wrap her head around the situation, it was all too surreal.  
"I didn't list anyone on the birth certificate. Look, I've already signed the termination of parental rights, I just need you to sign these," Jodie flipped a few pages out of the way and placed them on the desk, "basically saying that you'll adopt him, you'll be his guardian."  
"Jodie, please just do you even hear yourself?"  
"Alex," the desperation was clear in Jodie's voice, "I'm in a bad place."  
"Do you need money? I can loan you money. This doesn't have to be-"  
"No," Jodie shook her head, "it's not just money, I've…" the Latina's voice trailed off.  
"You're using again aren't you?"

Instead of answering, Jodie simply pushed the papers towards Alex. The blonde didn't know what compelled her to sign the papers, but once she set the pen down, Jodie fished the papers up quickly.

"Thank you Alex." Jodie said quietly before walking away. There were only three things that seemed to reverberate through Alex's mind in that moment, first the fact that she was now a parent, second what she would tell Marissa when she showed up with Cooper, and third how it was ironic that the little boy's name was Cooper Kelly.

/

Marissa entered the room quietly when she noticed the little boy's eyes had closed, she held her arms out to Alex and took the sleeping boy from her. Once she had a secure hold on the little boy, she took Alex's hand and led her to their bedroom. Wordlessly, Alex pulled the sheet and comforter back, letting Marissa set the little boy down. When he was tucked into their bed, the two women walked around to the other side and simply embraced each other.

"I'm sorry" Marissa whispered into Alex's shoulder.  
"I love you, Marissa. That's never going to change." The blonde sighed.  
"I know Alex, I love you too." The shorter girl pulled back and gave the taller girl a quick kiss, before looking back at the bed to make sure the little boy was still asleep.

**I understand that there are a lot of things that need to be cleared up, but I haven't written in awhile and it feels good to be doing it again. I have ideas bouncing around for this story, so reviews would be awesome and appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Over My Head**

Thanks for the reviews (demonlover16, bmq1689, sexymuppet, no name reviewer)! I'm glad you guys are enjoying this. Enjoy and if you could be so kind as to review that would be appreciated.

**Chapter Two**

Alex pulled away from Marissa's embrace and made her way back towards Cooper's sleeping figure. She took a seat on the edge of the bed and began to run her hand through the little boy's hair.

"You should get some sleep; you've had a long day." Marissa said slowly, "I can sleep in the den or the living room and you can stay with Cooper."  
Alex shook her head, "The bed is big enough for all of us."  
"I have some work to finish up, I don't know how long I'll be up till."  
"Work at two in the morning?" Alex questioned her voice skeptical.  
"I have an article to finish proofing, the deadline is at nine."  
"The joys of being a journalist." The blonde mumbled.  
"Hey not everyone can have their dream job, and it's not like you don't have late nights." Marissa retorted, "Plus I can function much longer without sleep than you can." The brunette tried to lighten the mood, but it seemed to go unnoticed.  
"Don't work too late."

Marissa retreated to the kitchen, making herself a cup of coffee. She leaned against the counter, watching the slow drip of the black liquid. As she listened to the gentle hum of the machine, she couldn't help but muse about the day Alex brought Cooper home.

/  
"Hey babe, I'm gonna be home in a little bit. Do you want me to pick up some dinner?"  
"No, I picked some up." Marissa answered, her phone cradled between her ear and shoulder.  
"Okay, well I'll be home in a little bit," Alex paused, "I need to talk to you."  
"Are you okay?" Marissa questioned, concern lacing her voice.  
"Just remember that I love you okay?"  
"I know, I love you too…c'mon Alex, what's going on?"  
"Promise you won't be mad-"  
"Alex" Marissa interrupted.  
"Promise me."  
"I promise I won't be mad."  
"Okay, see you in five." Before Marissa could respond, she heard the click of the phone.

Marissa put her phone down on the dining room table, her eyes drawn to the little device, wondering what Alex could want to talk about. Deciding that she needed to be productive, Marissa began to set the table. She headed into the kitchen and pulled two plates down from the cabinet, her mind beginning to wander again. Thinking better of it, Marissa put the plates back and grabbed the take out bags, deciding they could just eat out of the containers.

Just as Marissa set the bags of food onto the table, Alex walked in the door, a little boy in her arms. A puzzled look crossed Marissa's features, but she shook her head and gave them both a smile.

"Whose this?" Marissa asked walking towards the two.  
"This is Cooper." Alex answered, the little boy in her arms giving Marissa a big grin.  
"Nice to meet you Cooper- " The brunette paused.  
"Kelly" Alex supplied, her eyes cast downwards.  
"Kelly?" Marissa echoed, her mind starting to whirl.  
"It's not what you think." The blond interjected, "He's not mine, well not mine like that...but he's mine now."  
"What do you mean mine now?" Marissa's eyes narrowed, the smile having gone at Alex's words.

Neither spoke, their eye contact never faltered. The little boy in Alex's arms reached his hands out towards Marissa, who took him after a few beats of silence.  
"Are you hungry?" Marissa asked the boy in her arms, he nodded vigorously. As Marissa took him to the dining room, she threw Alex a look over her should that seemed to say, '_you have a lot of explaining to do_'.

That night Cooper lay tucked in their big bed, wearing one of Alex's old band shirts, which had been the only thing suitable for him to wear to sleep. It wasn't until after dinner that they had realized they had nothing suitable in their home for him.

Alex sat across from Marissa on the couch, a beer between her legs.

"Jodie couldn't take care of him." She began, starting with the facts, "She signed over her rights…she wants him to have a good life, she thinks we can give that to him."  
"Did you ever think to consult with me before you made a decision?" Marissa's voice conveyed her frustration.  
"She slid the paper towards me and before I knew what was happening…I-"  
"You signed it." Marissa answered for her, "It's what you do, you take care of people."

Instead of answering Alex simply took a sip of her beer, mulling over Marissa's words.

"We need to go shopping."  
"What?" Surprise evident in Alex's voice.  
"He needs clothes, toys…we need to make this place kid friendly. We can turn the guest bedroom into his bedroom."  
"You aren't mad?"  
"It's not like I never saw this happening, I just didn't think it would happen so soon and not under these circumstances. We've been together a long time though and I love you."  
"I love you too Riss." Alex had not been anticipating Marissa's statement.  
"Plus we can't return him." Marissa added as an afterthought with a smirk.  
/

Marissa tapped away at the keys on her computer, her eyes fixated on the screen. The coffee cup sitting beside her long ago empty. She heard steps come from behind, and felt a chin rest on her shoulder, her companion's eyes peering at the screen as well.

"Are you coming to go to bed? It's four." Marissa turned her head in the direction of the voice.  
"Yeah, I'm just about finished. Why aren't you sleeping? You have to be up in like three hours."  
"You know I can't sleep without you." The blond answered quietly.  
"You're going to be a zombie at work tomorrow."  
"It's a good thing I'm the boss then huh?" Alex pecked Marissa's cheek, "Come to bed so I can go to bed okay?" Marissa nodded and made a few clicks before closing her laptop.

After stretching briefly, Marissa trailed behind Alex back to their bedroom where Cooper was still sleeping soundly.

**Reviews would be appreciated. I've got ideas for this story and will try to update as often as I can. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Over My Head  
**  
Thanks for reviews guys (cj4eva, sexymuppet, bigblusky, miralinda).

**Chapter Three**

Alex was slumped forward, her head resting on top of her arms. Her desk was cluttered with papers and empty coffee cups. She was tired, which was to be expected since she had only slept two hours. When she heard Cooper waking, the sky was still dark, she eased the little boy out of bed careful not to wake Marissa. Since Marissa would be with him all day Alex figured she'd let the taller girl sleep in. Her nice gesture had left her drained.

Often times whenever there was s brief moment in her day Alex would find herself thinking about how much things had changed since Cooper had come into their lives. Six months ago if someone had told her Marissa would work remotely from home, she would have laughed. Since Marissa had graduated college, she had been very career driven, she knew that if she wanted to make it as a journalist she was going to have to work really hard. For the life of her, Alex couldn't understand how easily Marissa had stepped away from her career and how quickly she had stepped into the 'mom' role. Alex shook her head, a bemused smile on her face, it didn't matter what Marissa did or chose to do because at the end of the day Alex still loved her and always would.

Pulling her headset on, Alex double clicked on SKYPE, waiting for her computer to connect. When she saw the name she was looking for she pressed the green button to place the call. The screen went black momentarily before a familiar face came on.

"Hey Jimmy" Alex said into the microphone.  
"Alex, how are you?"  
"I'm doing good, how are you? How's Hawaii?"  
"Things are good on my end, what's up?"  
"I wanted to talk to you about something, well I would prefer to do it in person but you know-"  
"It's hard to get away, especially when you're busy."  
"I've been thinking a lot about-"  
"You want my blessing huh?" Jimmy interrupted with a grin.  
"That obvious?" the blond questioned, taking a sip of lukewarm coffee.  
"I was wondering when you'd get around to it, you and Marissa have been together a long time."  
"It's not that I haven't been thinking about it, I've been thinking about it for the past five years." Alex answered quickly.  
"Hey I'm not judging you, I like you, and you make my daughter happy. As far as I'm concerned you have my blessing."  
"Thanks Jimmy."  
"You guys are doing things a little backwards don't you think? A kid first and now you want to ask her to marry you?" Jimmy laughed. Alex felt a blush creep up but before she could answer a knock interrupted her.

Marissa's head popped in a moment later and Alex gave Jimmy a nod before logging off and waving Marissa in. The brunette entered, one arm holding Cooper and the other holding a take out bag.

"Right on time." Alex said with a smile, taking her headset off. She stood from behind her desk stretched her sore limbs and ambled over to the two most important people in her life. Giving Marissa a kiss, Alex took Cooper from her. They made their way to the couch that was situated in the corner of the room.

"Did I interrupt an important call?" Marissa questioned from her position next to Alex.  
"Nope, I was done anyways. Have I told you recently how glad I am that you work from home?"  
"You're only happy cause we bring you lunch."  
"That may be one reason, but the other reason is cause I get to see you!" Alex said with a cheesy smile, "and you little man" she added ruffling Cooper's hair. The two year old squealed in delight at his nickname before slipping out of the blond's lap and seeing what kind of toys she had hidden in her office.

Both women sat in amusement watching the little boy look under Alex's big desk before scurrying up onto her chair.

"So what've you guys been doing all day?" Alex asked her mouth full of burger.  
"Don't talk with your mouth full." The brunette laughed throwing a fry in Alex's direction.  
"Are you reading him that good manners book again?"  
"I'm trying to teach him good manners!" Marissa retorted defensively.  
"Right, well he's like two, you don't think it's a little early?" Marissa simply rolled her eyes.

/  
"We're going shopping." Marissa announced walking into the living room.  
"Why?" the blond questioned, pausing her game.  
"Because Cooper needs stuff, and we need to get the guest room set up. Hurry up, Summer's already on her way."  
"What does he need?" Alex couldn't understand what the little boy could possibly need; he had just come into their lives yesterday.  
"Um a bed that's his size, oh I don't know clothes maybe? Maybe he'd like some toys too…" Marissa trailed off giving Alex the '_are you really that stupid_' look.  
"Do I have to go?" Marissa's hands instantly fell to her hips.  
"Okay, okay." Alex gave in, "Are Seth and Elaina coming too?"  
"I figured, me and Sum could do the clothes and stuff, and you guys could go do toys?"  
"So they know that about Cooper?" Marissa gave Alex another look; this one seemed to say, '_she's my best friend'_. Marissa had been giving Alex a lot of looks instead of answering directly, maybe she taking a note out of Ryan's book.

Alex finally rose and went to get dressed before Marissa could shoot her anymore death glares. She checked briefly on Cooper on her way to her bedroom, noting that he was still sleeping soundly. As Alex pulled her shirt on she heard Seth's distinct voice come from the living room, "We have arrived ladies!" she shook her head, he was such a goof.

On her way back to the living room, Alex woke Cooper up. She carried the semi sleepy boy in her arms towards the voices.

"This must be Cooper!" Summer exclaimed, a big smile on her face. She took a few steps forward, Seth in tow who was holding their 4 year old daughter. Cooper squirmed in Alex's grasp, seemingly overwhelmed by all of the people.

"It's okay buddy." Alex whispered into his ear, she gave him a small smile which seemed to put him at ease.  
"Hi there," Summer stood in front of Cooper, "I'm your aunt Summer, this is your uncle Seth, and this here is-"  
"Elaina" the little girl interrupted, "Hi aunty Alex, how are you?" for a 4 year old she talked a lot, there was no question about who she got that from.  
"This is for you," Summer said ignoring the interruption, she held a wrapped package out to the boy in Alex's arms."  
"Summer you shouldn't have." Alex set Cooper down and nudged him forward to accept the gift. Summer bent down, and waited patiently for him to come forward. Once he realized that it was for him, he took a few tentative steps before accepting the gift and allowing Summer to help him open it. His eyes doubled in size when he saw the Batman doll, a grin crossed his lips and surprising everyone Cooper launched himself into Summer for a big hug.

"Looks like we got another superhero loving kid here." Seth noted, setting Elaina down. She went directly towards Cooper, showing him how the toy worked.  
"You guys didn't need to do that."  
"Are you serious?" Seth questioned clearly serious, "He needs a superhero doll. I had one for Elaina when she was born."  
"You mean before she was born." Marissa quipped up.  
"I was prepared." He replied, "Man you guys are so lucky."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"You didn't have to deal with late night cravings, or childbirth, you never had to deal with crying all night, you guys totally lucked out!"  
Summer smacked Seth in the chest, "Can it Cohen." Alex and Marissa shared a laugh,.  
"Or mood swings." He added under his breath.  
/

"Are you done abusing my parenting habits?" Marissa questioned, mocking hurt.  
"Noooo," Alex put her half finished burger down, "I love your preparedness. C'mon if it weren't for you, Cooper would probably still be wearing my band shirts."  
"That was like six months ago."  
"Your point?" Alex answered, pretending to be serious.  
"You're right, you are pretty lazy and a workaholic."  
"Hey! That's not fair, I bring home the bacon."  
"So what do I bring home?"  
"The tofu?" Alex suggested, bursting into a fit of laughter.  
"Tofu?" the brunette shoved the blond playfully, "We're leaving." She said standing up and heading straight for boy in Alex's chair.

Alex crumpled the remains of her burger into the wrapper and threw it into the takeout bag. She tossed it into the garbage can near her desk before making her way towards Marissa and Cooper.

"Don't work too hard." Marissa said, one hand taking a hold of Cooper's.  
"I'll try to head home a little early today, maybe make dinner?" Alex cocked her head to the side.  
"And watch Cooper?" the brunette suggested, "So I can get a jump start on my next deadline."  
"And watch Cooper." Alex repeated, before leaning in and catching Marissa's lips for a quick kiss. "Okay little man, I'll see you at home. Be good." The blond said to the little boy, giving him an affectionate ruffle on the head.

As Alex watched the two walk out of the office, she couldn't wipe away the smile that had formed on her face, she couldn't wait to get home to her family.

**No worries, there will be some drama cropping up soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Over My Head**

Once again thank you guys for the reviews (miralinda, sexymuppet, airhead, cj4eva), I really do appreciate it. And look it only took me 3 days to update, 3 days! Let's say if I get loads of reviews I'll be motivated to write more/faster (instead of do work for my classes, college is overrated anyways)!

**Chapter Four**

"How did this happen?" Marissa yelled rushing into the hospital room and coming to a complete halt in front of the blond sitting in the plastic chair. Alex looked up momentarily from the paperwork she had been filling out; her eyes met Marissa's red rimmed ones.  
"Where's Cooper?" Marissa questioned frantically, throwing herself into the seat next to Alex.  
"He's getting an x-ray?" Alex offered, trying to concentrate on the task at hand.  
"Why aren't you with him then?" the brunette accused angrily.  
"I-"  
"Excuse me Ms. Kelly?" Alex looked up immediately, "Cooper's x-ray went well." A middle aged nurse with short red hair interrupted their conversation, wheeling the sandy haired boy into the room.

Alex stood quickly dropping the clipboard onto the floor, resulting in a loud bang. Marissa swooped down to pick it up, shooting a dirty look at Alex.

Once Cooper was situated on the hospital bed, the nurse excused herself to retrieve the doctor.

"Are you okay?" Marissa questioned immediately, hugging the little boy, mindful of his bandaged wrist. Cooper nodded slowly, his light green eyes shifting towards Alex.  
"Does anything hurt?" the brunette asked, the sandy haired boy shook his head, he wasn't one for words.  
"He's fine Marissa, calm down." Alex said, sitting back down and continuing the paperwork.  
"Who are you to tell me to calm down? I left the house for five minutes and he ends up in the emergency room!"  
"I don't think this is the time or the place for this conversation." Alex stated calmly, she didn't want to cause a scene in the hospital. Marissa rolled her eyes in response.

The only noise came from the vigorous pressure Alex was applying to the paper from the pen. If she had been using a pencil, it would have snapped.

The sound of a man's throat clearing caused Alex to look up from the paperwork she had been filling out. A broad shouldered man with black spiky hair and navy scrubs walked in.

"Hi you guys must be Cooper's parents?" He asked looking up from his own clipboard. Alex stood, setting her paperwork down, nodding slightly.  
"I'm Dr. Warren, Cooper's x-rays look good. No broken bones or fractures. Looks like he just has a minor sprain in his wrist."  
"Thank God." Marissa mumbled under her breath. Dr. Warren looked briefly at Marissa before speaking again, "I put a splint on to help the wrist stay level. I'd also recommend rice treatment if he has continued pain, but his sprain should heal itself within the next few days."  
"Rice?" Alex wondered, one eyebrow quirked.  
"Rice is short for rest, ice, compression, elevation. Like I said though, he should be good as new in a few days." Dr. Warren answered, writing down a few notes. He smiled warmly at the three of them before heading out of the room. A few seconds later, the red headed nurse reentered with the discharge papers.

After they had walked out of the hospital, Marissa took Cooper straight to her car, ignoring Alex in the process. When Alex finally arrived home she wasn't surprised that Marissa gave her the silent treatment. She was however surprised that the silent treatment had gone on through dinner and lasted through Cooper's bath time. Once the little boy was tucked into bed, Alex headed straight towards the living room, ready for the confrontation. Marissa was sitting with one leg tucked under the other, reading a magazine.

"Are you done giving me the silent treatment?" the blond questioned, her arms instantly crossing across her chest. Marissa lowered the magazine slightly, glanced at Alex before raising it again. Alex marched the few steps to the couch and then pulled the magazine out of Marissa's hands before tossing it onto the floor.  
"I was reading that." Marissa stated anger evident in her voice.  
"Yeah well I'm talking to you."  
"What's your point?"  
"Look I've had a long day, you being bitchy doesn't help."  
"Bitchy? Excuse me for being pissed at you." Marissa scoffed.  
"I don't see why you're mad."  
"Are you fucking kidding me? I left the house for five minutes. Five minutes and Cooper ends up in the ER!" Marissa had risen from her position on the couch.  
"He fell off a chair; he's a kid, he's going to fall."  
"How would you feel if I called you and told you Cooper was in the ER? All you told me was that you were heading to the emergency room. Do you have any idea what was going through my head? Do you have any idea how scared I was?"  
"You're acting as if I can't take care of him or something, like he won't get hurt when he's with you." The words tumbled out of Alex's mouth before she could comprehend them, "Are you going to blame me for every cut and scrape he gets too?" Marissa's eyes narrowed at Alex's remark. "Jesus Marissa he's a fucking kid, since when did you start to care so much about someone other than yourself?" Alex held her tongue, unable to understand where the words had come from; her word vomit had gone out of control.

Tears formed in Marissa's eyes and Alex stood helplessly watching her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"  
"Don't" Marissa held hand up, "I can't believe you."  
"I was just-"  
"It always comes back to that doesn't it?" Marissa interrupted, "You still think I'm that selfish 17 year old girl I was back then."

/

When Alex watched Marissa head back to the bonfire with Ryan, she realized that she'd lost the one girl she cared most about. She shook her head; there wasn't anything she could do. Julie Cooper had been right; she was nothing more than that week's pool boy.

Alex's decision to leave Newport was instant, she couldn't bear to stay in her apartment, in their apartment, she couldn't stand seeing Seth and Summer, much less sticking around and potentially running into Marissa and Ryan or Julie. No, she had to get out and get her shit together.

A few days later she was settled into her new apartment on the outskirts of LA, and enrolled for night school. She was going to change her life and become someone better, someone with a future.

Swinging her backpack over her shoulder, Alex made the short trek from her jeep to her apartment, thankful that the walk was short, and that her first night back had gone well. She couldn't wait to pop open a beer and do some homework.

Alex froze when she saw who was sitting outside of her front door.

"Marissa?" her name rolled off the blonds' tongue easily.  
"Hi" the brunette stood from her spot, shuffling her feet awkwardly.  
"What're you doing here?" Marissa shivered visibly and Alex noticed she wasn't wearing a coat.  
"C'mon, we can talk inside." Alex unlocked the door to her apartment and held it open for Marissa, shutting it gently when she was inside.  
"Here take this," Alex murmured taking her sweatshirt off and holding it out to Marissa. The taller girl shook her head, but when the blond insisted she didn't relent. Marissa slipped the sweatshirt on, seemingly overwhelmed by the warmth and the intoxicating scent of Alex.  
"So what're you doing here?" the blond finally questioned after a few beats of awkward silence.  
"I made a mistake."  
"No, Marissa," Alex paused briefly, "You made a choice."  
"That was a mistake." The shorter girl shook her head, a rueful smile on her face.  
"You made up your mind, it was me or him, and you picked him."

Alex leaned against the door, crossing her arms. She was surprised that Marissa had found her and she was surprised at Marissa's admission, but that didn't change what had happened. Her confession wouldn't take them back to the bonfire.

"I love you." Marissa whispered bringing her tear stained eyes to meet Alex's.

Alex felt her mouth drop open slightly; she hadn't been anticipating those words. Marissa's sudden arrival hadn't changed anything, but those words did. Those words changed everything.

/

"I love you Alex, I don't understand why you can't see that." Marissa said her voice full of sadness; she gave Alex a long glance before brushing past her and heading to their bedroom.

**Reviews are awesome and kind of make up for me working on this instead of school work...so you know, click on that little review button cause I'd appreciate it and it'll give me some motivation to write another chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Over My Head**

Thanks for the reviews, they were a nice kick in the butt to keep writing! Also I totally skipped class (I didn't want to go but that's totally not related) to post this, who needs Philosophy of Ethics anyways right?

**Chapter Five**

Marissa slipped the gray blazer on over her top, giving herself the once over in the mirror. A small smile spread across her face, she looked good. But then again she always looked good. Unfortunately, her fight with Alex the night before had left her feeling uneasy. She needed have a clear head, or rather a head filled with thoughts about work, not a head full of doubts involving a particular blond that she loved. Marissa shook her head, she needed to focus.

Opening the bedroom door, Marissa slipped down the hall quietly as not to disturb Cooper. She paused when she reached the kitchen, surprised to see Alex waiting for her with a cup of steaming coffee. Marissa noted how sleep deprived Alex looked.

"Morning" Alex said quietly, holding the coffee out to Marissa as a peace offering.  
"Morning, you look terrible." The brunette answered, accepting the coffee with one hand.  
"Good, it matches how I feel." They looked at each other for a few seconds before Marissa turned away, grabbing her travel mug. "Where are you going?"  
"Work" Marissa replied dryly, "I have a meeting, I told you about it like a week ago."  
"Oh right, the meeting with your boss, I remember."  
"Yeah" the taller girl mumbled pouring the contents from her coffee cup into her travel mug.  
"I could have done that for you."  
"Its fine." Marissa moved past Alex to put the empty cup in the sink, barely making eye contact.  
"Do you want breakfast? Or anything?" Alex offered her voice hopeful.  
"I don't have time."  
"I can whip something up for you real quick."  
"It's fine." Marissa repeated. She started to head out of the kitchen, but Alex grabbed her wrist stopping her. Before Marissa knew what was happening, Alex had wrapped her arms around her waist.  
"I love you." Alex murmured into her hair, her grip tightening ever so slightly. Marissa took a deep breath, "I'm late" she said before disentangling Alex's arms and walking away.

Marissa pulled her car into the only open spot and slipped the keys out of the ignition. She flipped her mirror down to do a quick hair check, the words 'your hair looks great' were scrawled on a post it note and starring at her. She felt the corners of her mouth perk into a smile wondering when Alex had time to get into her car and leave the note.

A few minutes later the tall brunette was seated behind her desk. She pulled the papers out of her bag and was met with another bright pink post it, 'knock em dead babe' Marissa shook her head with a slight chuckle, Alex was too cute. She glanced at the framed picture of Alex, Cooper and herself and knew that she was lucky to have them in her life. Her thoughts drifted back to the fight from last night and if she was being honest she could see why Alex would still bring up the incident from when they were young. Though a part of her figured that after 9 years together Alex would have realized that she wasn't that person anymore and that she wasn't going to leave. There's no way they could move forward, or keep moving forward if Alex didn't leave the past in the past.

"Ms. Cooper?" A short blond haired girl poked her head into Marissa's office.  
"Just call me Marissa."  
"Okay, Marissa, Mrs. Lyle is ready for you now."  
"Thanks Jenny, I'll be right there."

As Marissa walked to her boss's office, her phone vibrated. She glanced at it quickly, pausing outside the door. Alex had sent her a text message with three simple words, 'I love you.' Yeah there was no way she could stay mad at her.

"Hey little man, you want some breakfast?" Alex asked the little boy clad in superman pajamas as he padded into the kitchen, his eyes barely opened. He simply nodded before climbing onto one of the chairs. Alex set a glass of orange juice down for him before pouring him a bowl of cereal.  
"Where's momma?" His voice was quiet, and Alex had to strain to hear him. When she realized what he had said she stopped her movements, this was the first time she had ever head Cooper utter any type of word with the term mom in it.  
"She's at work, she'll be home in a little bit." She said slowly, still shocked. She set his bowl down carefully and then took a seat next to him. Cooper seemed to accept the answer Alex had provided because a few seconds later he was digging into his cereal.

When Cooper heard the door unlock he instinctively looked up from his toys, when he saw Marissa he jumped up instantly and ran towards her. She had barely closed the door when his little body barreled into her legs. The brunette smiled before leaning down and kissing the top of his head.

"Wow even I don't get that kind of greeting when I get home from work." Alex remarked from her position on the couch.  
"Well you aren't usually with him when he wakes up, plus I'm his favorite." Marissa joked as the little boy pulled her towards his pile of toys in front of Alex.  
"Low blow." The blond laughed, she leaned over the laptop that sat on her lap and kissed the side of Marissa's head in greeting, "so how'd the meeting go?"

Marissa took her blazer off and tossed it to the side, something she wouldn't have a year ago. The brunette shrugged, "it was fine, nothing big."  
"What was it about?"  
"Lyle offered me a better position."  
"That's great!" Alex exclaimed excitement evident in her voice, "What position is it?"  
"This big shot gig in New York."  
"New York?" the blond repeated, "like on the east coast?"  
"Yep, that's the one." Marissa answered, lying down on her stomach next to Cooper.  
"What'd you say?"  
"That I'd take it. C'mon this is like my dream job." The brunette said nonchalantly.  
"You're going to New York…" Alex's voice trailed off, as an overwhelming sense of sadness began to consume her.

Alex tried to read Marissa's expression, but from her position she could only see the top of her head. The only sound in the room came from Cooper, who was pretending to be a car.

"Don't be stupid, I turned Lyle down." Marissa finally let out, before making car noises as well.  
"What?" the blond questioned surprised.  
"I'm not going to leave you or Cooper, much less have you guys give up your lives here."  
"But this is your dream job." Alex sputtered speechless.  
"Yeah but my life is here with you guys, that's what it comes down to."

Alex leaned back on the couch dumbfounded. Marissa had been working her butt off for the last few years to get a break like this and she had turned it down, turned it down even after the fight they had had last night. Things were definitely changing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Over My Head**

Thanks for the reviews guys. Let's shoot for lots of reviews today (if you could be so kind)? I'd really appreciate it, college is kind of overwhelming and kicking my ass...thank goodness I'm a junior though I don't know how much more I can take. I figured I'd take a break from homework and update!

**Chapter Six**

Alex stepped into the home she shared with Marissa; she had just dropped Cooper off at Seth and Summer's house which was only about a ten minute drive away. Cooper was going to be spending the night; his first night away from them since he'd come into their lives, Alex hoped it would go smoothly.

"What're you watching?" the blond questioned wandering over to the couch.  
"Pretty little liars."  
"Isn't that show geared towards like teenagers?" Alex peered closely at the screen, watching one of the girls dramatically make a scene at some sort of dance.  
"It's for work…" Marissa's voice trailed off.  
"Work? Right…. I know Summer likes this show, you don't have to be embarrassed." A laugh slipped from Alex's mouth.  
"No! I'm really watching this for work, I'm writing an article about teenagers and-"  
"Let me guess, clothes and makeup and how they're acting way more grownup than they ought to be?"  
"Well…yeah."  
"So it's like The Valley from our day."

Instead of responding Marissa paused the show and waited for Alex to stop interrupting her. She hated when people talked during important scenes.

"Get dressed." Alex walked around the couch and stood in front of the tv, blocking Marissa's view.  
"Why?" she questioned, holding the remote up at the TV to un-pause the episode.  
"We're going out."  
"Why?" she repeated, she didn't want to admit it but the show was kind of addicting and she really wanted to see what happened to the four main girls.  
"I'm taking you out."  
"For what?"  
"To celebrate your non promotion."  
"We don't have to go out."  
"Marissa, this is the first night we don't have Cooper in months. We're going out." Alex's hands were firmly planted on her hips, she meant business.  
"Can I finish the episode?"  
"I'm going to take a shower." Alex mumbled stalking off to the bathroom.

Marissa held the remote in her hands, just about to press play when she thought better of it. She'd get ready and then finish the episode, that way Alex couldn't berate her for not being ready. She tossed the remote down on the couch and headed for their bedroom, patting herself on the back for the smart decision.

Making her way to their walk in closet Marissa quickly shimmied out of her sweats and threw on a pair of skinny Rock and Republics. She swapped the plain v-neck she was wearing for a cream colored camisole and slipped on a gray cardigan. Marissa opened Alex's sock drawer and began to dig around for her favorite pair of socks when she found a little robin's egg colored box tucked in the corner. With trembling hands Marissa pulled the box out and began to examine it, her mind began to race. She contemplated opening the box but decided against it instead she did the only rationale thing that she could think of, she called Summer.

"Sum! Oh my god." The girl on the other end had just picked up the phone.  
"Marissa you need to chill out, Cooper just got here…his first play date shouldn't cause a panic attack."  
"No, not that! I just found a ring!" Marissa was holding the box in the palm of her hand, unable to tear her eyes away from it.  
"What do you mean?"  
"I was grabbing socks out of Alex's drawer and I found it!"  
"Sock drawer? How typical of Alex."  
"Um hello? You're missing the point! It's a ring!"  
"Do you think she's going to ask you tonight?"  
"It makes sense right? I mean Cooper's with you guys, tonight would be the best time."  
"Well good for you! It's about freaking time."  
"Crap! I gotta go, I just heard the water turn off, I think Alex is done with her shower."  
"Details later Coop!"

Marissa shoved the little box back into the drawer and snapped her phone shut just as Alex walked into the bedroom. The brunette tried to be casual as she walked out of the closet, though it was hard because all of her thoughts were drawn to the Tiffany's box.

"You look nice." Alex remarked toweling her hair.  
"I'm going to do my makeup." Marissa said bypassing Alex on her way to the bathroom.

As Marissa tried to apply her eyeliner she didn't realize Alex had come into the bathroom.  
"Are you okay?" the blond questioned, Marissa's hand shot up leaving a mark about an inch long across her left eyebrow.  
"Don't sneak up on me like that!" Marissa shrieked eyeing the mark on her face with disdain.  
"Your hands were shaking; I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Sorry for worrying." Alex mumbled, leaving Marissa in the bathroom alone.

Marissa grabbed a cotton ball and poured some makeup remover on it, "Come on Cooper, get it together" she muttered eyeing her reflection.

It took Marissa twenty minutes to finally get her makeup right; her hands weren't cooperating with her in any way. When she was finally ready, she found Alex sitting on the couch watching Top Chef. The brunette took a seat next to the blond, leaning her head on her shoulder.

"How's your show?"  
"Pretty good, it's making me hungry." Alex said slowly, giving Marissa a quick kiss on the head.  
"Do you want to head out now? Or do you want to finish the episode?"  
"We should probably head out now, we have reservations to make." The blond turned the tv off and offered her hand out to Marissa, who took it instantly.  
"Reservations huh? Fancy, fancy."  
"Only the best for my girl."

The drive to the restaurant was quiet, Alex had one hand on the wheel and the other intertwined with Marissa's. The brunette's thoughts were drawn to the last 9 years with Alex and the future that she knew was coming. There wasn't anyone else she would want to be with, or anywhere else she would rather be. During their entire relationship, Marissa had never so much as looked at or thought about another girl, for her Alex was all she needed and wanted.

After quickly parking, the two made their way to down the semi packed street. Alex led Marissa to one of the most popular bistros in town, landing a reservation here would usually take weeks, unless you had connections. Alex slipped her hand to Marissa's waist and led her to the hostess stand where they were checked in and seated immediately.

"Do you know what you want?" Alex asked peering over the menu before bringing her eyes up to meet Marissa's.  
"You can order for me, I usually like what you pick."  
"So you're saying I have good judgment."  
"Something along those lines."  
"Well I did pick you didn't I?" the blond said with a soft laugh.

After dinner they decided to take a walk along the pier. They walked hand in hand for a few minutes before stopping at the edge and resting their elbows on the wooden railing.

"You know that's where we watched the tide turn." Alex said pointing towards a spot on the beach.  
"Seems like it was just yesterday that you rejected me, miss I don't do Valentine's Day first dates." The brunette laughed, playfully shoving the blond.  
"To be fair we did go out."  
"We sat there," Marissa pointed to where Alex had just motioned to, "and kissed."  
"That counts as going out…that was like our first kiss."

The two remained silent, both thinking back to that night.

"Do you have anything to ask me?"  
"Um no?" Alex answered, turning to look at her, not quite understating what Marissa was getting at.  
"Are you sure?" Marissa persisted.  
"Yes?" the brunette let out a deep sigh, "Is there something you want to ask me?" Alex asked.  
"No." Marissa let out another deep sigh.  
"You're being weird." Alex remarked, her gaze going back towards the water.  
"You're being difficult." Marissa muttered under her breath.  
"Excuse me?"  
"Nothing."  
"Marissa I'm pretty sure-" Alex's phone interrupted her, "Summer?" Alex said surprised that the dark haired girl was calling her, "Hey. Yeah, really? He is? Okay. Yeah, no it's no problem. We'll be there in a little bit. Okay, bye."  
"What happened?" Marissa questioned, her thoughts instantly drifting to Cooper.  
"It's Cooper, he can't sleep. Summer says he's been crying and asking for us." Marissa felt her heart drop at Alex's words, "I told her we'd be there soon." Marissa glanced at her watch quickly; it was already eleven, which was way past Cooper's bedtime.

About twenty minutes later Alex pulled up to Seth and Summer's house.  
"I'll run in and get him, that way you don't have to turn off the car." Alex watched as Marissa ran out of the car and emerge a few seconds later with Cooper curled in her arms.  
"It's too bad we had to call it a night, I had more planned." Alex remarked once Marissa had buckled Cooper into the backseat.  
"Oh yeah? Like what?"  
"I figured we could get tattoos and then ice cream, you know stuff of that nature."  
"Tattoos and ice cream?"  
"Or you know froyo."  
"Just drive home." Marissa laughed with a shake of her head.


	7. Chapter 7

**Over My Head**

Thanks for the reviews, sorry this update took a little longer than usual...I'm in the midst of homework and applying to another school, aka stressed! I want to clear up that this dash [] stands for hour breaks, and this / means past. Anyways reviews are appreciated like always!  
**  
Chapter Seven  
**  
"Cooper's knocked out." Alex said entering the bedroom where Marissa lay in bed with a book on how to raise a toddler.  
"He had a rough night." Marissa noted, looking up at Alex.

Marissa's glasses sat perched on her nose and Alex couldn't help but smile, there was something about the way Marissa could make anything look good. Alex couldn't help her thoughts; Marissa resembled a hot librarian, or the hot high school English teacher. If Alex had had teachers that looked as good as Marissa, she would have been in school every day.

"Sorry our night didn't exactly go as planned," Alex lay down on her stomach, perched on top of the blankets.  
"What're you talking about?" Marissa set the book down on the nightstand, taking her glasses off as well and placing them next to the book.  
"We were supposed to have a night without Cooper and that didn't happen."  
"Did you have anything else planned?" The brunette questioned thinking about the ring that still sat in Alex's sock drawer, wondering if she should hint at it.  
"I might have had a romantic night planned but seeing as how we're home and in our bed, clearly the plan didn't work," a bemused smile quickly spread across Alex's face.  
"Oh, romantic night…"  
"Well we haven't exactly had a lot of sexy alone time lately." Alex stated, wiggling her eyebrows.  
"Ew you sound like Seth….don't do that eyebrow thing either, it looks like something he would do."  
"That's not very nice." Alex said crawling under the covers, "You want to tell me why you were being so weird today now?"  
"I'm not weird." Marissa turned the light off and slid lower into the bed.  
"Yes you are." Alex pulled her body close to Marissa's, her arms encircling the lanky girl's waist, something she had been doing for the past nine years.

[]

Alex slipped out of bed making sure not to wake Marissa and kissed her on the forehead before heading to Cooper's room. She took a seat on his bed and watched him sleep for a few minutes, not knowing a more precious sight. Alex ruffled his sandy blond hair slightly and a few seconds later, his small eyes opened.

"Wanna help me make breakfast for momma?" the little boy rubbed the sleep from his eyes and with Alex's help got out of bed.

Alex carried Cooper into the kitchen and sat him down on the counter top. She pulled all of the ingredients out of the drawers and plopped them next to Cooper onto the counter. As Alex assembled the batter Cooper watched on hungrily.

"Okay little man, you want to mix the batter for me?" Alex asked, he nodded vigorously with a smile. Alex handed Cooper the mixing bowl and held it for him while he used the wooden spoon and sloshed batter all over himself.  
"Wow you've got quite the arm buddy, slow down a little bit okay? We want to make sure we have enough to cook up."  
"Here, why don't you put some chocolate chips in there?" Alex handed Cooper the nearly full bag, "don't put too much," she said, two seconds later he emptied the entire bag into the mixing bowl. He looked up at her fearful that he had done something wrong, "they'll just be extra chocolatey," Alex said with a laugh.

Once all of the pancakes were made and piled onto one plate and the coffee was poured into Marissa's mug, Alex handed the plate to Cooper letting him carry it into their bedroom.

The smell of pancakes and coffee caused Marissa's eyes to flutter open instantly. The first thing she saw was her little boy holding a heaping plate of hot cakes next to her bed. A huge grin broke out across her face and she pushed herself up into a sitting position. Standing behind Cooper stood Alex with a mug in her hand and some forks. Cooper took a few steps forward and with Alex's helped scrambled up onto the bed without dropping one pancake. The blond followed his lead and got into the bed as well.

"You want a fork?" Alex asked, being careful as she handed the coffee to Marissa.  
"Nah," Marissa put the cup on her nightstand and grabbed a pancake with her fingers, "So many chocolate chips!"  
"That was all Cooper's doing." Alex laughed, giving his head a ruffle.  
"Yummy" the little boy between the two women mumbled between bites of his own pancake.  
"Thanks for making breakfast." The brunette leaned over and kissed Alex slowly on the lips, while Cooper was obvious to what was going on overhead.

[]

"Hey," Alex said as Seth entered the diner and took a seat next to her. They tried to get together once or twice a week, just the two of them to spend some quality time together. Since Ryan had moved to the East Coast after college, Seth and Alex's relationship had become increasingly close, they were like siblings.

"You been here long?" Seth questioned pushing aside the menu, he already knew what he wanted, he didn't understand why they kept bringing them menus, their orders rarely changed.

As soon as their orders were taken, Seth started his interrogation.

"So you have anything important to tell me?" He asked, his hands absentmindedly playing with the coaster.  
Alex's eyes narrowed, "No, why?"  
"Are you sure? We're like best friends you can tell me anything." Seth was on the verge of rambling, his words were flying out at lightning speed.  
"What are you talking about?"  
"C'mon Alex, nothing to tell me?" the dark haired boy persisted.  
"No…" Alex drew out slowly, confusion written across her features, "Can you just tell me what you're getting at?"  
"I just figured you'd tell me when you finally proposed to Marissa," Seth answered, "I mean we're like family, big news man, kinda bummed you didn't tell me." He had his sad eyes on.  
"What?" Now Alex was really lost, proposed to Marissa?  
"Summer said you were proposing last night."  
"How would Summer know that?"  
"Well she said Marissa called her."  
"Marissa called her?"  
"Yeah-wait you didn't propose? You'd tell me if you were thinking about it right?" the curly haired boy was clearly in a much less somber mood.  
"Yes Seth, I'd tell you," The waiter set their food down, "Why would Marissa tell Summer I proposed?"  
"She found the ring." Alex whispered to herself, she groaned aloud, pushing her food away, "that's why she was being weird."  
"Ring?" Seth questioned, "You got a ring?"  
"Yeah, but I didn't propose…I've had it for awhile now."  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Alex simply shot him a look that seemed to say, 'do I really have to answer that'.

Seth began to munch on his chili fries, while still keeping his eyes on Alex. To say she looked happy would be an understatement, she looked slightly annoyed.

"You know I'd imagine that proposing to your girlfriend would be a good thing." The curly haired boy said between bites.  
"It is, I am," Alex said slowly, "I just wanted it to be a surprise."  
"It's not like she knows when you're planning on doing it." Seth's eyes lit up instantly, "Keep her on her toes, you can mess with her!"

Alex laughed, it was the first time she had actually liked one of Seth's ideas.


	8. Chapter 8

**Over My Head**

Reviews were sparse for the last chapter, I know you guys can do a little better…it'd be cool to know people actually read/enjoy you know what I mean? Also sorry for such a long delay, my Philosophy of Ethics teacher gave us an extra credit assignment – give up the internet and our cell phones for a week, hence why there hasn't been an update. But it's here now! Enjoy!

**Chapter Eight:**

Cooper had his hands behind his back and was standing shyly near Marissa's legs, when Elaina marched up to Cooper and simply informed him that they were going to play in the sandbox and pulled him along before he could say anything.

Marissa and Summer headed for one of the nearby benches, close enough where they could keep an eye on the kids. Once they were settled, Marissa pushed her sunglasses up onto her head.

"Is Elaina wearing ray bans?" Marissa questioned.  
"She wanted them." Summer answered easily.  
"She's so spoiled, what does a five year old need nice sunglasses for? She's just going to break them."  
"Um if I remember correctly you were wearing nice shades when you were her age."  
"How would you remember that?"  
"How could I not? You're Marissa Cooper, five years old or not, you're still Marissa freaking Cooper." Summer retorted, "Besides it's not like she's wearing Chanel sunglasses or anything."  
"I bet you if they made little kid sunglasses she would." Marissa laughed.

The conversation fell into a comfortable silence, as the two best friends continued to watch their kids play in the sand. They mainly watched Elaina tell Cooper how to build her sand castle the proper way. A dark haired little boy ran over to the two kids playing and proceeded to smash the sand castle. The smirk he held disappeared as Elaina yelled at him and he quickly got on his knees to help Cooper rebuild it.

"Elaina sure is feisty."  
"She takes after me, we don't let anyone mess with us." Summer said turning to face Marissa.  
"That's for sure. How was Cooper last night anyways before his meltdown?"  
"He was good, I think he was just scared to be away from you and Alex, but he had a good time up until that point. Seriously though, let's quit the chit chat, tell me about the proposal!"  
"She didn't propose." Marissa answered slipping the sunglasses back over her eyes.  
"What do you mean she didn't propose?"  
"Do you see a ring on this hand?" Marissa questioned, raising her left hand.  
"I figured you just weren't wearing it because you didn't want people to know yet….why didn't she propose?"  
"Beats me, I hinted at it but Alex can be kind of clueless sometimes."

"I want water," Elaina stated, interrupting the adults, she had one hand firmly planted on her hip. Summer turned to face the little girl standing in front of her, and quirked an eyebrow at her daughter, "Excuse me?"  
"I want water," Elaina stated again, jutting her hip forward.  
"Where are your manners little lady?" Summer's voice was stern.  
"Please," the dark curly haired girl rolled her eyes, "can I have some water?" her voice held a bored tone. For a five year old she sure knew how to give attitude, Marissa was glad Cooper wasn't like that.

Summer reached into her purse and pulled out a Cinderella water bottle, handing it to Elaina who yelled, "Thanks" before running back to the sandbox.

"I think she takes after me a little too much."  
"Gee you think?" Marissa teased.  
"I guess Cohen's genes aren't too dominate."  
"Summer it's Seth we're talking about, when is he ever dominate?"  
"Okay, enough bashing of my husband! Let's get back to the real topic here, you and Alex."  
"You can bash Seth but I can't make a little comment?"  
"He's my husband, I have to live with him, so no you can't." Summer laughed, "Stop avoiding the question, what're you going to do?"  
"There's nothing I can do but wait."

Summer mulled over what Marissa had told her, wondering if she should do her best friend duty and intervene.


	9. Chapter 9

**Over My Head  
**  
Hey guys, here's an update for you! Thanks for all the reviews, keep 'em coming! Also, Aerhead doing the assignment was a little hard because I made up my mind not to even use netflix or check my personal email but it was nice to be disconnected from everything, let's just say I got a lot of work done for school, by the end of it I really liked not having my phone.

**Chapter Nine:**

When Alex returned home, she found Marissa and Cooper cuddled together on the couch both knocked out.

She headed for her bedroom and made a beeline for her sock drawer. The only thing on her mind was how adorable Marissa and Cooper looked together on the couch, her conversation with Seth didn't seem to matter anymore, and she knew she wanted to make Marissa her wife.

As Alex was holding the ring box in her hand and going over her game plan, her phone began to ring. Instead of checking the caller id, she simply pressed the phone to her ear, her eyes never leaving the sparkling diamond ring in its box.

"Hello?" Alex answered, clearly distracted.  
"Alex."  
"What's up Summer?"  
"I need to talk to you about something."  
"What can I do for you?"  
"It's more like what can you do for my best friend." Alex took her eyes off the ring and snapped the box shut.  
"Did you talk to Seth?"  
"No, why does he know something!" Summer's shrill voice pierced Alex's ears, Alex heard Summer cover the mouthpiece and then yell, "COHEN! GET YOUR SKINNY ASS IN HERE!"  
"Summer, what's this about?" Alex asked tossing the box back into her sock drawer.  
"Look I just want to know if you're planning on proposing to Marissa anytime soon."  
"Why? So you can tell her? So you can ruin it?" Alex jokingly accused.  
"I'm just trying to help."  
"I get that Summer, but here's the thing, don't."  
"Ew, rude much?" there was the Summer Alex had come to know.  
"I don't mean that in any disrespect, I'm just saying, this is between me and Marissa, I want to do this my way. You understand that right?"  
"Yeah, Alex, I do. You're good for her, I just want her to be happy."  
"Are you saying she's not?" Alex joked, making the conversation a little more lighthearted.  
"No! You know I'm not! She wants to be able to tell people you're more than just her girlfriend…you've been her girlfriend for like nine years."  
"Oh…" Summer's remark had caught Alex off guard.  
"Hey, I have to go; I think Cohen and Elaina broke something downstairs. I'll talk to you later!" Summer's voice regained its cheery tone before she hung up.

After the call had ended, Alex simply looked at the phone in her hand wondering what she was going to do. As she was going over Summer's words, her phone vibrated, signaling a new text message. She saw that it was from Seth, 'Don't let Summer get to you! Remember the plan!' Alex felt herself smirk, before heading towards the living room.

She perched herself on the back of the couch, watching Marissa for a few seconds before poking her in the face gently. She held her laughter in as Marissa's face contorted and the sleeping girl tried to swat her away. As Marissa smacked herself, instantly waking up, Alex burst into laughter, unable to keep it in any longer. The noise however, seemed to scare Cooper, who woke up crying.

"Aw sweetie, it's okay, it was just Mommy." Marissa whispered, holding Cooper tighter, shooting Alex a death glare. "I love you," Alex mouthed, giving Marissa a wide grin. She walked around the couch and took Cooper into her arms, giving him a big and tight hug.

"I missed you buddy. Did you have a good day?" The little boy nodded into her shoulder, wiping his tears on her shirt.  
"You wanna go out to dinner?" Alex asked turning her attention to Marissa, who was now sitting up against the couch.  
"Yeah sure, just let me go freshen up."

After about ten minutes, Marissa stepped out of the bedroom to find Alex down on bended knee, her head down.  
"Oh my god!" Marissa gasped, her mind instantly jumping to one conclusion. At the sound of Marissa's voice, Alex looked up immediately.  
"Babe can you do something for me?"  
"Yes!" Marissa shouted, excitement lighting her features.  
"Cooper said he was going to get me some krazy glue for my shoe," Alex gestured toward her broken sole, "but that was a few minutes ago, can you go see what's keeping him?" Alex watched as Marissa's face instantly fell.  
"Krazy glue?" She repeated.  
"Yeah, so I can fix this before we head out." Alex once again pointed to the shoe on her left foot.

Marissa turned away from Alex and went in search of Cooper, mumbling under her breath in the process. As Marissa walked away, Alex grinned, step one was complete.

/

Throughout dinner Marissa had a somewhat forlorn expression on her face, and whenever Alex asked her what was wrong, she just shrugged it off.

When Cooper was finished with his dinner, he looked up at Marissa, "bathroom" he said, tugging at Marissa's sleeve. Once the little boy was finished and were walking back to the table, Marissa saw Alex talking to the waiter, who walked away quickly when he saw Marissa and Cooper approaching.

"What was that about?" Marissa asked, once they were seated.  
"Oh nothing," Alex answered vaguely, "he suggested dessert is all."  
"I'm kind of full."  
"I think you'll want dessert." Alex said, her voice full of conviction.  
"Can we get it to go?"  
"No, you should really have it here." Alex insisted.

Marissa reluctantly agreed, figuring Alex was finally going to propose. As the waiter brought the plate to the table, Marissa saw some words on the plate and as he set it down, Marissa turned her gaze at Alex, "Yes!" she exclaimed.  
"Yes what?" Alex asked, giving her a funny look.  
"To your question!"  
"What question?" Marissa pointed to the plate, never taking her eyes away from Alex's.  
"I didn't ask you a question."

It was then that Marissa finally turned to look at the plate in front of her and read the words that had been scrawled on the plate in chocolate, "You are awesome" she read aloud, "awesome" she repeated.  
"I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated you."  
"Oh"  
"I think you'll find a nice surprise inside of that dessert though, so be careful." Alex said in mock seriousness.

At Alex's words, Marissa assumed that the ring would be in the dessert and started to pick at the chocolate cake carefully, after a few moments of coming up empty handed, Marissa began to mash the cake with her fork a little more forcefully.

"Are you looking for something?" Alex questioned watching Marissa dig around and through the cake.  
"No…"  
"Then why are you doing that?"  
"You said there was a nice surprise inside."  
"Yeah, it's a triple chocolate cake, your favorite. I just meant don't fall into a chocolate coma, you know be careful."  
"Oh"

When Marissa wasn't looking Alex shot a look at Cooper who sat between them, and they exchanged a look that seemed to say, 'phase two and three are complete'.


	10. Chapter 10

**Over My Head**

Thank you guys so much for the reviews and the alerts.

**Chapter Ten**

For the past week every time Alex bent down to tie her shoelace or was down on her knees Marissa had to suppress her urge to shout 'yes'. It would have been much easier had Alex not made a conscious choice to do it at least three times a day, and in front of Marissa. Alex had also been making little comments that would get Marissa's mind spinning, but then dispel those thoughts by adding a snide little comment right after. The brunette had finally realized that Alex wouldn't be proposing anytime soon and that if she didn't stop her quick assumptions, she would be a mess, an even bigger mess than she already was.

As Marissa was settling into the couch to watch Sesame Street with Cooper, her phone began to ring.  
"Hey Su-"  
"I have to tell you something." Summer interrupted.  
"Okay, is everything alright?" Marissa questioned concern lacing her voice.  
"I heard Seth talking to Alex about some sort of plan and when he went to the bathroom I looked through his texts."  
"That's kind of messed up to invade his privacy like that."  
"Are you telling me you don't want to know what I found out?"  
"Summer…"  
"Alex has been messing with you!" Summer interjected, "She knows you know about the ring, she's been toying with you this whole time."  
"You're kidding."  
"Her bending down to tie her shoes three times a day? Yeah, not a coincidence."  
"I'm going to kill her." Marissa said after absorbing the information.

/

That night after putting Cooper to bed, Alex shut his door and headed towards the living room where Marissa sat. The brunette had been giving her the silent treatment since she had come home from work, and Alex couldn't understand why. She figured Marissa had had a bad day, so she had been on her best behavior, even doing the dishes after dinner; something she hated with a passion.

"Are you mad at me?" Alex asked standing a few feet away from the couch.  
"Do I have a reason to be?" Marissa countered, obviously upset.  
"Not that I know of, but you're acting like you are."  
"I've been going it over in my head if I should mess with you the way you messed with me, but you know what? I wouldn't do that because that's just mean and hurtful. You saw how crazy I was. I mean if you weren't planning on asking me to marry you then why even joke around about it?" There was more hurt in Marissa's voice than Alex had been anticipating and now she understood why Marissa hadn't been speaking to her, everything made sense now.

"Marissa, you found the ring and you told Summer about it."  
"She's my best friend Alex!"  
"I was just trying to have some fun"  
"At my expense." Marissa finished for her.  
"I wanted it to be a surprise, you can't be mad about that."

Marissa stood from the couch and crossed her arms. They stood staring at each other waiting for the other to make a move.

"Marry me. I mean it. I love you more than anything. So, marry me." Alex said immediately taking a step towards Marissa.  
"No." Marissa answered simply.  
"What?" Alex questioned surprised, stilling her movements.  
"It's not even a real proposal, you don't propose in the middle of a fight."  
"So you're saying no because you don't like the way I proposed to you."  
"You didn't mean it!" Marissa let out loudly.  
"You've been acting nuts all week thinking I'm going to propose, and when I do you say no…you make absolutely no sense. I gave you what you wanted and it wasn't good enough. I really don't know what you want from me." Alex said before turning around and retreating to the bedroom.

Marissa fell backwards onto the couch, mulling over what Alex had said. She felt like she had a right to be upset and to not accept the proposal because it had come out during an argument. However, at the same time, she understood why Alex was upset, she had basically just rejected her offer. Marissa let out a groan, before getting an idea; she grabbed her phone and scrolled through her contacts looking for a particular name.

"Hey, it's Marissa. Yeah, Marissa Cooper. Can you do me a favor? Thanks, I'll meet you at your place." Marissa ended the call and slipped the phone into her pocket before standing and grabbing her purse on her way out the door.

Alex stood with her back to the bedroom door, letting out a frustrated sigh when she heard the front door close. It wasn't supposed to happen like this, she hadn't been planning to propose in the midst of an argument, and above all she hadn't expected Marissa to leave.

**Where's Marissa gone? Let me know what you thought! Reviews are appreciated as always!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Over My Head**

I used the song By My Side by David Choi, which is amazing…google it! You should listen to it while you read. Also, thanks to those who continue to review my stories and whatnot, I really do appreciate it.

**Chapter Eleven**

When Alex opened the bedroom door the next morning, she heard little wheels coming towards her before a little toy fire engine hit her sock clad feet. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the small vehicle that had come to a stop; it was Cooper's favorite.

"Open the back" she heard Marissa say. Alex brought her eyes to meet the taller girls. Curiously, Alex picked up the red car and gave it a quick once over. She shot a questioning glance at Marissa who was approaching her, before lifting the little plastic flap. When Alex had the back open, she looked inside the little red object and saw a ring. She poured the ring into the palm of her hand and saw a simple sterling silver band with a modest cut diamond in the center. The little car fell to the ground with a thud.

"Marry me." Marissa said simply. Alex felt her mouth go dry and drop open slightly. Marissa didn't explain what had brought it on, or add anything to her statement.  
"What?"  
"Do you know what this month signifies?"  
"Our anniversary," Alex answered immediately, "the tenth year we've been together."

Marissa took another step closer to Alex, who had still not answered her first question. The brunette took her hand into her own and began to hum. This was one of the few moments she wished she had been musically inclined and could whip out a guitar like it was no one's business, unfortunately she had to settle for humming the beginning of the their song.

"I think of you with every breath I take, I need to feel your heartbeat next to mine. You're all I see, in everything. I just wanna hold you, I just wanna kiss you, I just wanna love you all my life. I normally wouldn't say this, but I just can't contain it. I want you here forever, right here by my side." Marissa sang slowly and quietly, her sparkling eyes never leaving Alex's.

Alex felt her lips curl into a smile, and a few seconds later heard her own voice continuing their song, "No one else will ever do. I got a stubborn heart for you. Call me crazy, but its true; I love you. I didn't think that it would be, you have made it clear to me. You're all I need."

"All the fears you feel inside, and all the tears you cry, they're ending right here. I'll heal your heart and soul; I'll keep you oh so close. Don't worry; I'll never let you go. You're all I need, you're everything" the two women sang together, their voices in rhythm with each others finishing the song, the song they had dubbed to be about them.

At the sound of light clapping, both women turned their heads towards the little boy who stood in the doorway. He gave them both a shy smile, before Marissa ushered him over. When Cooper had made it to them, Marissa let go of Alex's hand briefly to pick Cooper up.

"So will you marry me?" Marissa questioned again, Cooper gave Alex an enthusiastic nod.  
"Nothing would make me happier." Alex answered leaning in to give Marissa a kiss.

The three of them began to head to the kitchen to have breakfast before Marissa stopped them.

"Can I ask you something?" Marissa asked, only inches away from the kitchen.  
"Sure." Alex answered, still not believing that she was engaged.  
"Would you be opposed to going down to City Hall right now and you know making it all official?"  
"You don't want a big wedding? And here I thought I'd just sit back for months, writing checks while you picked napkins and found the perfect dress." Alex teased.  
"I don't need any of that; I just want you to be mine." Marissa gave her a small smile, it was a cheesy line but it was the truth.  
"Whatever you want to do babe."  
"Let's go then." Marissa exclaimed excitedly.  
"Wait- like right now? I haven't even showered."  
"So? I like you with your hair up and your loose t-shirts." Alex gave Marissa a goofy grin.  
"This is why I love you." The blonde said, "Let me at least put real pants on."

As Alex was changing, she made sure she grabbed the ring she had picked out for Marissa months ago. While Alex got dressed, Marissa helped Cooper out of his pajamas and into his tuxedo printed t-shirt and a pair of jeans. When Alex finally emerged from their bedroom, true to her word she had only changed her pants, her hair was still up in a loose pony tail and she still wore her loose shirt, but now she was wearing a black hoodie.

On the drive to City Hall, Marissa quickly dialed Summer and told them to meet there as soon as possible and that it was an emergency. There was no way Seth and Summer would ever let this go if they weren't invited. Alex and Marissa both couldn't bear the thought of having to deal with either of their bitching.

Alex and Marissa sat on the curb outside of City Hall watching Cooper play on the grass as they waited for Seth and Summer. A few minutes later a familiar Range Rover pulled up and parked horribly behind Alex's yellow Jeep. Seth jumped out of the driver's seat, quickly unbuckling Elaina from the backseat while Summer ran towards Alex and Marissa.

"What's going on?" She demanded as Seth followed close behind with a pajama clad Elaina in his arms.  
"We're getting married." Alex said easily, standing and offering a hand to Marissa.  
"You're what?" Summer continued, not believing her ears.  
"Getting married." Marissa stated this time slowly.  
"You've got to be kidding me. Right no-"  
"Hey, this is awesome." Seth interrupted a big smile on his face.  
"Cohen! How is this awesome?" Summer questioned turning her attention to her miss-button shirted husband.  
"Because they're getting married." He answered with a 'duh' tone.  
"No big wedding?" The shortest girl in the group questioned.  
"No big wedding." Marissa confirmed.  
"You're wearing a cardigan and Alex is wearing a hoodie." Summer pointed out, still not able to grasp the situation.  
"So what?" Seth continued as Marissa and Alex watched on in amusement.  
"Look Sum, we love each other," Marissa gestured to Alex, "and we wanted you guys here because we love you too."  
"You can leave if you want." Alex suggested, knowing full well they wouldn't.  
"Hell no blondie." Summer finally managed, "At least Cooper is dressed for the occasion…." her voice trailing off.

The whole ceremony only lasted ten minutes, which was still ample time for Summer to shed a few tears as she watched her best friend marry the girl of her dreams. The smile on Alex's face was enormous as was the one on Marissa's, neither had their eyes off each other for a second.

When Alex slipped the ring she had picked out onto Marissa's finger, everything felt right with the world.

As the group stepped out of the building and into the sunshine, Seth made everyone stop. "Alex and Marissa you guys stay right there. Summer and Elaina, you follow me." Alex; who was holding Cooper, shot a glance at Marissa and all three of them gave Seth weird looks but stayed put. They watched as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.

"You're lucky my phone has a good camera, here's your official wedding picture!" he announced, "Say cheese!" Marissa just shook her head in amusement at Seth's antics.  
"Hey, that's a really good one! Summer come look!" Seth shouted, motioning for Summer to look at the picture.

In the picture Alex and Marissa had their eyes on each other and held dreamy expressions on their faces; it was clear how much love they had for each other, Cooper had been the only one who had looked at the camera and he sat perched on Alex's hip giving Seth a thumbs up.

"So where to now? The diner?" Seth suggested as they all stood around the two cars.  
"Actually, we're going to the beach." Marissa said, pulling a large picnic basket out of the backseat of the Jeep.  
"When did you have time to do all this?" Alex questioned, her smile growing bigger as Marissa produced a bottle of champagne as well.  
"When you were sleeping."  
"You planned this." Alex stated, taking the large basket from Marissa.  
"Oh, I hoped for it."  
"You do realize that Julie is going to kill you for not having a big Newport style wedding right?" Summer quipped.  
"Well there's nothing she can do about it now." Alex added with a shake of the head, "Wait, she's going to think this was my idea!"  
"Most likely, yes." The other adults agreed with nods.  
"Well this is great, we've been married all of ten minutes and I'm already in hot water with my mother in-law."  
"Hey, everyone's always in hot water when it comes to Julie Cooper." Seth said trying to console his friend.  
"We better head to the beach and pop this now then," Marissa said lifting the bottle, "before mom forces us to have a Newpsie wedding and all hell breaks loose."

**Reviewww? Pretty please with a cherry on top? I've got a full weekend of homework (oh, how i love college), so any distractions would be greatly appreciated.**


	12. Chapter 12

**Over My Head**

I think I need to clear up dates and such, Cooper came into their lives in June, Marissa and Alex's anniversary is in February (first date was Valentines), so their 'civil union/wedding' was in late February. Anyways, reviews would be awesome and appreciated like always. Last chapter got sparse reviews :(

**Chapter Twelve  
**  
"You what?" Alex heard Julie scream through the phone, which Marissa was holding a couple inches away from her ear. They had wanted to wait a week or two before telling Julie, probably not the best idea either one of them had had, but Jimmy had apparently let it slip to Kirsten, and both Alex and Marissa knew that if Kirsten told Julie, they wouldn't survive to see Cooper grow up.  
"It was a really spur of the moment decision mom."  
"It was Alex's idea wasn't it? She's always been corrupting you!" Alex rolled her eyes at the statement she wasn't supposed to hear.  
"Actually, it was my idea, Alex wanted to wait but I-"  
"Don't you dare cover for her."  
"Mom, do you hear yourself? Me and Alex have been together for ten years! Ten years! Way longer than you have ever been with any of the guys you married, and then divorced, so don't even go there. I proposed to Alex, I asked Alex to go to City Hall." Marissa retorted, growing frustrated, "Look she's a part of my life whether you like it or not, she's been there for me when you weren't, we have a life together, we have a family together, so you need to start treating her better. If you want to be in Cooper's life you better start treating Alex better." Marissa knew that Cooper was Julie's weak spot, despite how he had come into their lives Julie had really grown to love him.  
"I understand Marissa." Julie struggled, "at least let me throw you two a party?"  
"You need to talk to Alex about that."

/

Alex didn't know why she had agreed to the party, maybe to please Julie but she shouldn't have done it. For the past hour Alex had been listening to women she didn't care about drone on and on about their 'work' and their upcoming appointments with Newport's best plastic surgeon aka Summer's dad. She didn't understand why these women were even at the party, much less if they even knew her. Marissa had been whisked away by Summer as soon as they got to Julie's and even Cooper had abandoned her to play with Elaina, Alex was so desperate for real conversation that she had wished Seth hadn't been taken away by his parents.

"Excuse me ladies, I need to see my wife." Marissa said, joining the small group. The ladies gave Marissa awkward smiles while their eyes flitted between the blonde and the brunette. Alex still couldn't understand why they had come to the party when it was clear that they weren't comfortable with the idea of two women being joined together. It was obvious that they would gossip about them as soon as they walked away.

"I really don't want to be here." Alex mumbled after Marissa had successfully pulled her away.  
"Let's get out of here then."  
"Your mom is going to kill us."  
"Since when do you care about my mom?" Marissa leaned in close to Alex's ear, "let's go accidentally lock ourselves in the upstairs bathroom for awhile?" When she pulled back her eyes were devious.

/

It had been a few weeks after the party and Marissa stood near the door flipping through the mail, glad that there were no more wedding gifts, she was tired of having to sign for boxes; most of the mail were bills; however a yellow envelope addressed to Cooper caught her eye. Putting the rest of the mail down, Marissa opened the envelope carefully and pulled out a birthday card, her eyes skimmed the card and stopped when they landed on the words _aunt Jodie_.

"Alex!" Marissa shouted, causing Alex to run out of the office quickly.  
"What's wrong?" the blonde questioned.  
"When is Cooper's birthday?"  
"April 5?"  
"Is that a question or is that your answer?"  
"His birthday is April 5."  
"Didn't you think that was information I needed to know?"  
"You never asked." Alex stated simply, not understanding what was going on.  
"He's been with us almost a year! Do you even realize that his birthday is in three days?"  
"Today's-" Alex paused, "Oh god you're right, he's going to be three in three days."  
"This came for him," Marissa said handing the card to Alex, who skimmed it as well, "are you in contact with her?"  
"Who Jodie? No." Alex answered looking up at Marissa.  
"Look, I don't care that she sends him cards or whatever, but I need to know that she's not going to take him away from us." The lanky brunette said, a mixture of concern and fear in her voice.  
"I wouldn't let that happen." Alex informed her, setting the card down and pulling Marissa in for a hug, "he's not going anywhere." Alex continued, placing a kiss on the side of Marissa's head.

**Push that little button that says review and leave me some lovin? :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Over My Head  
**  
Thanks for the reviews guys, I appreciate each and every one of them. For the sake of this story, because Alex stayed and Marissa didn't die, the Cohen's didn't leave Newport. Just thought you'd like a heads up!

**Chapter Thirteen  
**  
Marissa knocked hesitantly on the door, hoping it wasn't too late for her to be stopping by. She shifted uncomfortably as she waited for the door to open, considering leaving and calling before showing up again. As she turned away, she heard the door open.

"Marissa?" the older man said surprise evident in his voice. Marissa turned slowly.  
"Hey, Mr. Cohen"  
"You've known me for years, please call me Sandy. Mr. Cohen sounds old."  
"I'll try to remember." Marissa gave a nervous laugh.  
"What can I do for you?"  
"I was wondering if I could talk to you about something."  
"Sure, why don't you come in." He stepped back, leaving room for Marissa.

As Sandy led the way into the living room, he stopped mid-step, "is this living room talk, or office talk?" he questioned over his shoulder.  
"It's kind of official lawyer talk."  
"To my office it is then." He said, shifting to the left and heading down the hall.  
"Where's Mrs. Co- I mean Kirsten and Sophie?"  
"Some sort of spa, mother daughter bonding time, if you ask me, it's just an excuse for them to leave me home alone."

Once they were settled in their respectable spots, Sandy behind his big wooden desk and Marissa sitting opposite him, they got right down to business.

"So what can I do for you Marissa?" Sandy leaned back into his chair, interlocking his fingers across his stomach.  
"I wanted to ask you something." Marissa reached into her bag and pulled a few papers out, smoothing them on the desk before sliding them over.  
"Why didn't you guys have me look over these for you when Cooper first came into your lives?" Sandy questioned, not taking his eyes off the paperwork.  
"Alex had her lawyer look over them and file them with the state. The papers you have are the copies her lawyer gave us after all of the paperwork was processed. We didn't want to burden you, you've already done so much for us."  
"You wouldn't have burdened me, you know I love you two like you're my own daughters." Marissa shot Sandy a grateful smile.  
"I don't see anything wrong, it all looks clear and pretty official. Jodie voluntarily terminated her rights as Cooper's guardian, and there was no father listed. Seeing as how Alex has signed and dated this, and you have signed as well, legally you two are his parents." Sandy set the papers down, and cast a glance at Marissa.

"So there's no way Jodie can get him back?" Marissa finally questioned, the only question that had been on her mind.  
"From a legal standpoint, I don't think so. If she decides to bring you two to court, there's a chance. But to be perfectly honest, there's nothing she can do. She was of sound mind when she terminated her rights, and you and Alex are doing a fantastic job with Cooper. A court won't overlook that."  
"So there's nothing she can say or do that can change anything."  
"Well, she can argue that you and Alex aren't giving Cooper the 'proper' family, because you two are women, but that would only be put into consideration if the court is full of bigots. And in California, you know as well as I do how liberal people are. I doubt that argument would do anything." Marissa let out a deep sigh of relief.

"Sandy, you have no idea how happy you have just made me." Marissa gave him a tired smile.  
"If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask."

As Marissa was putting the paperwork back into her bag, Sandy's phone rang. Marissa nodded at the question Sandy shot at her with his eyes. She pulled out a little yellow envelope and slid it to him, "Cooper's birthday invitation" she mouthed.

"This is Sandy," A smile spread across Sandy's face as he pulled out the invitation, "I would love to help you out, but let me just tell you that you're wife here already beat you to it." Marissa's eyebrows quirked up at the mention of wife. "All good news, you have nothing to worry about. You're little boy shouldn't be going anywhere." Sandy continued. The conversation only lasted a few more seconds before Sandy put his phone back into his pocket.

"You two really love that little boy." Sandy stated, bringing his eyes to meet Marissa's.  
"We do, he means the world to us."  
"You guys are doing a great job with him, I remember when you first brought him over and he was so shy."  
"He's still a little shy."  
"Not as much as he used to be, I thought he was afraid of me at first!"  
"I think everyone's afraid of you at first, it's the eyebrows." Marissa laughed.  
"I'll have you know the eyebrows are a sign of power."

A few minutes later Sandy walked Marissa to her car, and before she got in to drive away, he engulfed her in a big hug. "I know you want to tell your wife the good news, but make sure you obey the limits, I don't want to have to bail you out of jail tonight." He whispered jokingly before pulling away.  
"Oh no worries, Mr. C, the wife will have no problems with bailing me out."  
"But are you willing to have her bring your little boy into a jail at this time of night?" he countered, a raise of one of the powerful eyebrows.  
"I'll try not to get into too much trouble." Marissa shouted, sliding into her car.

As Marissa pulled away, Sandy stood in the driveway watching the car disappear from view. He began his short walk back into the house with a grin on his face, shaking his head, he was glad Marissa was with Alex, he had to admit they were a good fit, Ryan was never right for her.

**I apologize for the short chapter, I promise next one will be longer whenever I get around to writing it, I'll make sure its longer-ish.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Over My Head  
**  
I've been sick the past week and it's been terrible. On the bright side though, you guys get an update on a Friday night! Also, if I'm going to be honest, I don't know when this story will end, or if it will. Enjoy and as always reviews would be appreciated.  
**  
Chapter Fourteen**

"It's slanted; drop your side a little lower." Alex instructed, receiving an eye roll and groan from Marissa who stood on the chair opposite her.  
"You know why it's slanted? Because you're short, of course it'll look slanted" Marissa muttered, "Summer should help you, you guys are like the same height."

Alex pushed her thumbtack into the wall ignoring Marissa's remarks. They had been decorating the Bait Shop for the past half hour and she was already annoyed. Julie had offered to pay for someone to do the decorating, but Alex and Marissa had said no, it was their little boy's birthday and they wanted to do everything. Alex wished she had said yes now.

Marissa pushed her thumbtack into the wall as well, not caring anymore if it was slanted or not. She hoped off the chair and grabbed a roll of the yellow streamers. She grabbed the green ones as well and tossed them at Alex who missed the toss, "I'll do these, and you do those." She instructed, not wanting to work together anymore.

For the next ten minutes both women hung up their designated streamers, not saying one word to each other. It was one of the most tension ridden moments both of them had experienced since their last fight, which seemed like it was ages ago. Alex set the tape down when she was finished and went over to fill the piñata when her phone rang.

She looked at the vibrating phone confused that it was an unknown number; she slid her finger along the base of the phone answering the call, hoping nothing was wrong.

"Hello?" Alex cradled the phone between her shoulder and ear, her hands filling the piñata with candy.  
"Hi Alex, it's me."  
"Jodie?" Alex set the bag of candy she held down onto the table, and she heard the tape dispenser crash onto the ground from across the room.  
"How are things going?"  
"Things are fine." Alex answered, watching Marissa head in her direction.  
"How are you?"  
"I'm doing good." The blonde kept her answers short.  
"How's Cooper doing?" At the mention of his name, Alex seemed to snap out of her revere.  
"Marissa and Cooper are doing great."  
"Good, I'm glad."  
"Why are you calling?" Alex finally questioned, Marissa standing next to her.  
"I just wanted to see how things were, see if you got the birthday card."  
"Yeah, he got the card." Alex loved Jodie, they used to be best friends, but the fact that Jodie could try to take Cooper back really had her questioning her former friend. The line was silent.  
"Can I do anything else for you?" Alex questioned, feeling Marissa take her free hand.  
"Are you guys going to throw him a birthday party?" Jodie's voice was even.  
"Um, yeah we're throwing him a party." Alex hoped Jodie didn't ask if she could come, she couldn't say no, but at the same time she couldn't very well say yes.  
"Do you think I could maybe stop by? Say hi?" It was the first time Alex heard a hopeful tone in Jodie's voice.  
"I don't know Jodie," Alex mouthed the question to Marissa, a look of disdain crossing the brunette's face before she nodded, "I guess so" Alex finally mumbled, confused as to why Marissa would say yes.

After Alex gave Jodie the information, she slid her phone into her pocket before turning her attention to Marissa.  
"Why did you say it was okay for Jodie to come?"  
"Because if she really wanted to be here, she'd find a way."  
"I thought you didn't want to see her."  
"I don't but there's nothing we can do, we can't really cut her out of Cooper's life. That's not fair to him."  
"I guess, but I don't like this." Alex admitted, taking a seat in the empty chair, her hand still clasped in Marissa's. She dropped her gaze to the ground.  
"Look," Marissa knelt down and lifted Alex's chin up to meet her eyes, "we introduce her as Cooper's aunt. We're his parents; we're his mommies, not her."

/

Cooper had insisted on wearing a superhero costume for his party, and seeing as how Marissa and Alex couldn't say no to their little boy, he showed up in a batman costume. No one was more excited than Seth when he showed up to the party and set his eyes on the little boy. However, Elaina, who Seth had been carrying in his arms, threw a tantrum because she had wanted to wear a costume as well. Summer had quickly calmed her down by offering to buy her a new outfit, whenever Elaina heard the words buy and new, she instantly became well behaved.

As more and more guests arrived, the table of presents continued to rise. Alex hoped their place wouldn't be consumed with all of Cooper's new toys. She felt like she didn't know half of the people who had come to the party. Initially, they had wanted to keep it low-key, but low-key was clearly something that didn't happen in Newport.

While Alex worried about space, Marissa worried about Jodie showing up and making a scene, or worse trying to take Cooper back. But as the party went on, her thoughts of Jodie disappeared, she saw how much Cooper was enjoying himself and that made her feel good. She knew that she was a good mom, and that Alex was a good mom, if they had to fight for him they would, they would fight until the very end.

All of the guests seemed to be having a good time, the jugglers and face painters had been a hit with both adults and kids, which was a surprise because it was Newport, who would have thought Newpsie women would allow their children to be painted by strangers? Even Jimmy had flown in for Cooper's birthday.

"Cooper look who came for your birthday," Julie said, taking Cooper's hand and leading him towards Jimmy.

Jimmy had just flown in from Hawaii and although he was tired, he swooped the little boy up in the air and swung him around, "Hey there buddy!" Cooper let out a squeal of delight, as Marissa and Alex watched on in amusement. They continued to watch as Jimmy set Cooper on his shoulders and made small talk with Sandy and Kirsten, the little boy seemed to love his new height.

"Cooper has made my mom and dad act civil around each other." Marissa stated, taking a sip of her drink.  
"That's a good thing right?" Alex asked from her spot next to Marissa.  
"Yeah, I haven't seen them act this good in years."  
"Looks like we have a peace maker in the family." Marissa smiled, she never got tired of hearing the word family, she had a great wife and an amazing son, her family couldn't get any better.

After the cake and ice cream had been served, a lot of the party goers continued to mingle about, it wasn't until an hour or two later that almost all of the guests had finally left, leaving Seth and Summer, and Julie and Jimmy.

"I can't believe Cooper knocked out already." Jimmy observed, stifling a yawn.  
"Looks like you need to." Julie stated, pulling her car keys out, "I'll drop you off." Marissa shot a look at Alex, raising one of her eyebrows.  
"Marissa, I can see you."  
"Yeah, well you are standing right there." Marissa shot back.  
"Alright," Jimmy stepped between the two, "Kiddo, I'll see you later." He hugged Marissa before turning to Alex, "Great job Al," he pulled her in for a hug as well before whispering, "I'm glad you finally married my girl."

Once Jimmy and Julie had gone, there was only Seth and Summer left.  
"So, this has been fun." Seth said, shoving his hands into his pants pockets.  
"You guys still want to help clean up?" Alex asked, holding the broom out to Seth.  
"Not really." Seth admitted, which resulted in a smack from Summer.  
"Hey! I remember that broom a little too fondly, you made me clean this place a lot. Excuse me if I don't want to clean on my day off."  
"Yeah well if you did a good job when you worked here, you wouldn't have had to do it so much. Besides, I'm sure you do the cleaning at home anyways."  
"I'll have you know that I only clean the bathroom."  
"And the kitchen." Summer muttered under her breath.  
"Plus, we have a daughter to get home to." Seth added, ignoring Summer's comment.  
"Your parents took her to their place." Marissa piped in.  
"Look, if you must know, me and Summer are planning on having sex."  
"Oh my god, Cohen!" Summer punched Seth in the chest.  
"What? I'm just being honest." Seth replied hotly, rubbing where she had hit him.  
"Too much information, just go." Alex muttered pulling the broom back.  
"He's just joking." Summer attempted before being shooed away by Marissa.

After Marissa walked Seth and Summer to the door and returned to Alex's side, she saw that Alex had already begun to sweep.  
"I can do that." The taller girl offered, "Or you can leave it for tomorrow and we can go home, it's been a long day. Just have the am staff clean it up? I mean you are paying them to be here, and a lot of them just stand around anyway." Marissa suggested.  
"Mm I like the way you think" Alex leaned in and kissed Marissa slowly, "let's go home wifey."  
"I'll go grab Cooper." Marissa mumbled still in a daze from the kiss, her breath tickling Alex's lips.

The brunette headed briskly to Alex's office, knowing that if they got Cooper into bed quickly they could have some much needed alone time. Once Marissa had a secure hold on the sleeping three year old, and began her ten second walk back to Alex's side, she knew her plans wouldn't be happening.

"Hi Marissa."  
"Jodie." Marissa subconsciously tightened her hold on the boy in her arms.


	15. Chapter 15

**Over My Head**

So, I went to the doctor on account of being sick and he told me I had mild walking pneumonia! But, I think I'm getting over it. Anyways, I left you guys with a bit of a cliffhanger yeah? Well, let's let the cliffhangerness end right here.

**Chapter Fifteen**

Marissa stood next to Alex, still holding onto Cooper. The little boy had remained asleep in the taller girl's arms despite her obvious body stiffening at the sight of Jodie. The last time Marissa had seen Jodie had been years ago, the girl that stood before her had dark rings under her eyes and she was insanely skinny, all the curves she once possessed were gone. She looked like a skeleton of her former self.

"You're a little late." Alex pointed out, crossing her arms. Her body was in defensive mode.  
"I didn't want to come when everyone was here."  
"Probably a good decision." Alex shot back immediately. Marissa placed a tentative hand on Alex's waist, trying to calm her.  
"He looks good." Jodie motioned with her head towards the sleeping boy.  
"He is good." Alex took Marissa's hand into hers.

The room was still, except for a slight movement in Marissa's arm. Cooper began to rub his eyes and turned his head in Jodie's direction.

"Do you think I could maybe-" Jodie paused, "would it be okay if I held him?"  
"No" Alex answered immediately. The word caused Jodie to flinch and nod in understanding.  
"Alex, I think it's okay." Marissa said unsure of where the answer had come from.  
"Marissa" Alex's voice conveyed a warning.  
"Really?" Jodie's eyes light up at Marissa's words.

Marissa released her hold on Alex's hand and took a few steps towards Jodie. She leaned Cooper out towards the Latina who stood with outstretched hands. A confused looked crossed Cooper's face and he pulled back burying his head into Marissa's shoulder, holding on tighter. The hurt was evident in Jodie's face, Marissa had seen the smile fall away immediately.

"He's shy around people he doesn't know." Marissa offered, trying to make the situation better, but she quickly regretted her words. Jodie merely nodded once more in understanding. Marissa resumed her place next to Alex as another silence descended on the group.

"Bud, this is your aunt" Alex glanced at Jodie quickly to gauge her reaction, but she had none, "She's your aunt Jodie, you don't have to be scared." Alex held her hands out for Cooper but the little boy shook his head diligently.  
"Cooper" Alex tried again.  
"I want to stay with momma." His little voice murmured into Marissa's shoulder.

Marissa bit her lip, it always thrilled her to hear Cooper call her mom but at the same time she didn't want to hurt Jodie anymore than they already had. Alex cast a tentative glance at Jodie, wondering if she heard the boy. Her thoughts were confirmed when she saw the look that crossed Jodie's eyes.

"I'm going to go, it's getting late." Jodie turned and started walking towards the door, but paused briefly, she turned her head over her shoulder and looked at the three of them, "You guys make a cute family. And Marissa?"  
"Yeah?" the tall girl questioned curiously, thankful for Jodie's compliment.  
"You make a good mom." Marissa's mouth dropped open into a little o.  
"Bye aunt Jode" Cooper called quietly as the Latina walked out the door.

"Did that just happen?" Marissa asked aloud to no one in particular.  
"Yeah…" Alex's voice trailed off surprised as well.

Marissa and Alex stood there for a few more minutes going over the last scene in their heads, still unable to fully grasp what had happened. It wasn't until Cooper asked when they were leaving that they finally snapped out of their revere and headed home.

It had taken Alex five separate trips to get all of the presents out of the car and into their place. After the fifth trip, Alex collapsed on top of Marissa on their bed, not bothering to change her clothes. She just closed her eyes and tuned out Marissa's protests. Eventually the taller girl rolled the blonde onto her own side and pulled the covers over her before snuggling in close.

"Some night" Alex mused her eyes closed.  
"You can say that again."  
"Some night" Marissa could hear the smirk in Alex's tone and felt herself smile.  
"You're a dork."  
"And you married me, so what's that make you?"  
"Uhhh a dork's wife duh."  
"Marissa Kelly did you just duh me?"  
"Hey," Marissa shoved Alex playfully, "I never added Kelly, _Kelly_ is such a Barbie name."  
"I'll have you know that Kelly was Barbie's little sister, also known as the cool one."  
"Did you just reference Barbie? Who are _you_?" Marissa joked.  
"Who am I?" Alex flipped Marissa over quickly and straddled her, "I'll tell you who I am." She began to tickle the lanky girl that writhed beneath her, "I'm the tickle monster!"

Marissa continued to squirm and tried desperately to hold in her laughter. Alex stopped her movements and covered Marissa's mouth, "Shhh, we need to be quiet, the little man is sleeping!" she whispered in Marissa's ear before moving her hand and replacing it with her mouth. Alex intensified the kiss and let her hand trace the side of Marissa's body, feeling Marissa moan into the kiss as her own hands traveled up Alex's shirt. As Marissa began to pull Alex's shirt up, the door to their bedroom opened. Immediately Alex rolled off of Marissa and they both turned their attention to the little boy standing in the doorway.

"Hey buddy," Alex managed with a fake smile, "did you have a bad dream?" Cooper nodded.  
"You can sleep with us tonight sweetie." Marissa offered letting Cooper climb into their bed and make himself comfortable.  
"Mood kill." Alex mumbled under her breath. Marissa smacked Alex in the forehead before getting comfortable next to Cooper, "Mom says she loves you very much Cooper."  
"Yeah, I do." The blonde replied before sliding lower into bed and wrapping her arms around the two most important people in her life.

**Reviews are appreciated!**


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